Thursday, October 16, 2014

Thanks to BigBen for sending this Kaweco Al-Sport over for me to review! There are quite a few Sport models, and this one is probably a lot of peoples' favourite - so I'm itching to check it out for myself!

The Sport fountain pens come in the classic Kaweco tin packaging, inside a cardboard sleeve. The tin is very useful, and the perfect size for the pen, with a plastic felt bed holding the pen safely. I really like them because they're kind of retro looking, solid, and reusable. They also don't waste a whole bunch of space. I keep mine and use them for various around-the-house purposes.

APPEARANCE

The Kaweco Al-Sport is the aluminum fountain pen in the Sport series. It's a compact, pocket-sized pen with an unmistakable design. The ends of the pen are somewhat blunt, with the finial being the classic metal silver Kaweco logo. The cap says Kaweco Al-Sport Germany in white; between the finial logo and the writing, that's the extent of the trim and writing.

The aluminum body is matte black, with a faceted cap and a round, smooth body. The section is short, also aluminum, with a slight indent before flaring out towards the nib.

NIB & PERFORMANCE

The nib is small and cute, and is a steel medium. It has the Kaweco logo engraved on it, along with the nib size (as do the other nibs, so at least you know what your nib size is - convenient when you have many of these...), and has some simple detail on it. It's an interchangeable nib unit, so it simple screws out in the nib collar and you can put in a different nib. I didn't flush the pen first before inking it, and I used the Kaweco converter. While I don't care for the converter all that much, it does the job.

The nib wrote really well, smoothly, with very good flow! Very pleasing and it reminded me why I think this is a good pen for new fountain pen users. There were no issues, no hard starts, no skips, and the nib even has a little bit of give to it, which makes it quite nice to write with.

IN HAND

Kaweco says: Small in pocket, great in hand, and I agree. The pens really are small and fit in snug pockets, but when posted, they are a comfortable length, easy to use. It's a small pen when unposted, but it has a good, solid weight. It posts deeply and securely, so it's perfect for short and long writing sessions.

I find the section quite comfortable, even though it's short. It's indented, which is my preferred grip shape, and it has a little bit of texture, which helps it not be slippery.

Compared to a Lamy Safari, it's certainly smaller, which is good to know as the Safari is often the other pen people consider when thinking about a beginner's pen. Of course, both pens are perfectly suitable for beginners and experienced users alike!

PROS & CONS

OVERALL

Left to right AL Sport RAW. Skyline Mine. AC Sport. AL Sport.

Top to bottom: AL Sport. AC Sport. Skyline Mint. AL Sport RAW.

How does the Al-Sport stand out from the other Kaweco models? It's more professional, heavier, and more robust than the Sport series (ICE Sport in particular), and it's more affordable than the AC Carbon Sport but feels just as good in hand. It's a good in-between and is certainly worth considering as an everyday carry pocket pen because of its actual portability, convenience, robustness, and reliability. Plus, the nib units are interchangeable so that's a bonus.

I received this pen free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion. Do a gal a solid and if you fancy any of these and want any item of your own, use my affiliate links :)